Commercial Aerospace

Commercial Aerospace

Commercial Aerospace

Commercial Aerospace

Curtiss-Wright ensures the reliability of commercial passenger aircraft for travelers around the world.

Curtiss-Wright's legacy of innovation in commercial aerospace, from the pioneering founders of flight – the Wright brothers – to today's cutting-edge, advanced technology products, enables thousands of commercial airliners around the world to safely take off and land. We have developed long-standing relationships supporting original equipment manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, providing an expansive array of products and services for commercial airliners, business and regional jets and helicopters.

Safety is always a top priority for the commercial aerospace industry. On commercial passenger airplanes, our sensor and data recording products contribute to flight operations that monitor and communicate vital data on conditions within and surrounding the aircraft. Our fire protection systems include smoke and fire detection and suppression controls, and our enhanced cockpit controls help support safer aircraft operations. Our mechanical actuation systems precisely extend and retract a wing's leading edge slats and trailing-edge flaps for smooth take-off and landing. On helicopters, we supply a system that senses and removes icy build-up on rotor blades to enable flight during known icing conditions. Without this technology, helicopters would likely be grounded during icy weather conditions.

Our surface treatment services enhance the durability of highly stressed metal components, reducing costs for manufacturing, maintenance and repairs. Our support of aircraft production includes shot peening (a process of hammering surfaces with small spheres of media at high velocities) and laser peening, two processes that improve the fatigue life of airframe and turbine engine components. Peening is also used to form complex aerodynamic shapes needed in commercial aircraft wing skins. This technology is currently used to create the aerodynamic curvature of the wings for all of the Airbus platforms as well as wing sections of Boeing’s 747-8 aircraft. Other commercial aerospace services include the application of thermal spray coatings to turbine engine components and protective lubricant coatings to structural fasteners. Collectively, these technologies enhance the integrity and extend the life of critical components by helping to prevent structural fatigue and corrosion failures.

In recent years, our operations have benefitted from increased production rates at Boeing and Airbus across nearly all product lines. Unique manufacturing requirements led to the opening of our new Emergent Operations facility to support the ramp up in production on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Our advanced technologies, low-cost structure, precision manufacturing capabilities and long-standing customer relationships have been and will remain a critical element of our success in this market. Looking ahead, global airline demand is expected to continue to increase, translating into a need for more aircraft to carry more passengers more miles. It is expected that greater than 30,000 new airplanes will reach the skies over the next two decades.

From passenger planes to business jets and helicopters, Curtiss-Wright supports the full spectrum of aviation platforms.